Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale
Andi and Brian bring you daily devotionals to help elevate your day!
Episodes
Like many kids, I used to imagine that adulthood was a goal and maturity was a given. But now that I’ve been an adult for a while (a long while!), I’ve learned that maturity is not automatic, but must be cultivated. The word used in the New Testament for maturity is teleios, a common word that means finished, complete, or fully grown. It describes the...
From Making Change by Michelle Van Loon
When I learned that my hairdresser was a hobbyist hibiscus breeder, I told him about the three neglected old hibiscus bushes that were on the property of our new home. The skeletal plants were nearly leafless, and I figured I’d need to dig them up and replace them. He urged me instead to lop off about two-thirds of their branch...
In the days before readily available GPS navigation on our cell phones, I told my kids we’d be taking a quick run to the post office in our new town. A glance at the map told me the address was directly at the center of a spaghetti-bowl of hilly one-way streets. I was a veteran big city driver and figured the small suburban downtown area wouldn’t be a...
When I was fired from a job I’d fought hard to keep, a friend reminded me that I should be prepared for grief to present itself as I processed the loss. And she was right. I spent some time telling myself it was all for the best. I found myself dealing with eruptions of frustration and anger as I replayed months of difficult inter-office politics where it s...
“I’m so sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis. How are you holding up?” I was grateful to have a moment of conversation with Tonya, a popular leader at church.
Tonya smiled a 1000-watt smile. “Praise the Lord! God is good!” She then told me about how she’d had an opportunity to share her faith ...
After Jesus’ ascension, Peter addressed the Judas situation. He didn’t ignore it. Didn’t pretend it didn’t happen. But he also didn’t dwell on it. He acknowledged it, learned from it, and moved forward.
“In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all abo...
“Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. ” Matthew 26:50 ESV
Jesus called Judas “friend” in the moment of betrayal. Not “traitor.” Not “enemy.” Friend. Even as Judas handed Him over to be crucifi...
Judas didn’t betray Jesus with a curse. He betrayed Him with a kiss. The ultimate symbol of affection became the weapon of betrayal.
That’s how betrayal works. It disguises itself as love. It uses intimacy as a tool for harm. The closer the relationship, the more effective the betrayal.
At the Last Supper, Jesus dipped bread and handed it to Judas. In that culture, this was a sign of honor, friendship, and favor. Jesus gave Judas the honored portion—knowing Judas was about to betray Him.
“Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas,...
Judas wasn’t an enemy. He was one of the twelve. He walked with Jesus for three years. Ate with Him. Served with Him. Witnessed miracles. Then he sold Him for thirty pieces of silver.
“Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. A...
After a long day at work, I remember feeling heavy pain in my stomach. I was going to blow it off, but after being coerced by a loved one to go to the doctor, I relented and went to Urgent Care. Twelve hours later I found out I had a major issue that would require surgery. Terrified, I started the stint to look for the right doctor to perform my upcoming surgery.
...There is an old saying in churches that reads, “Jesus take the wheel,” which simply means that in life, God should be in the driver’s seat as we submissively follow His direction. I saw a very funny meme online that said, “Jesus take the wheel, but not that wheel.” A driver was missing the front wheel of his car as the rim scraped th...
Working in a stressful environment like corporate always causes major sugar cravings. I remember one day oddly, I really wanted chocolate. This is very unusual for me because I don’t typically eat chocolate, and it’s not really my favorite guilty pleasure.
After a meeting, my friend and I headed to the snack stash to indu...
One Valentine’s Day, I attended an event with ladies I knew from a church organization with which I was associated. As the ladies trickled into the cozy Italian bistro to their assigned seats, they began to converse and eagerly look at the menu to order food.
One of the ladies was in the midst of getting ready for the event. In...
From Purpose Through Pain by Chidi Wosu
During the holidays, I always go to Pittsburgh to see my family. Since my mother and father reside there, the whole family comes down to spend the most wonderful time of the year under the same roof. One night, while soundly sleeping, I was awakened to the sound of birds. I woke up almost immediately from the loud and distracting chi...
One of the most familiar and hope-filled passages of Scripture is Jeremiah 29:11: “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (NIV).
God knows the plan. It’s not about you, your efforts, or you...
Endless sermons and podcasts and books rightly tell us that the safest place to be is in the will of God. But how do you know God’s will for your life? How do you identify God’s hand on a thing instead of your own?
One way God lets us know that something is not His will is through warnings. He cautions us. He shows us red ...
Is your mind crowded by worries, what-ifs, and lies? Sometimes our minds have a death grip on the hypothetical and a loose grip on God’s historical. We fail to think about what God has done; instead, we focus on what we fear might happen.
If you battle with overthinking or if hypotheticals plague your mind, recall the following S...
If you are a believer striving to grow in Christ, you’re not just a Christian who likes Jesus. You are trying to be Christlike. So, when we look at Jesus, we can observe that He had routines.
Luke 5:16 NIV says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (emphasis mine). Earlier, in Luke 4:...
You encourage me, reader. Why? Because the very act of starting this reading plan demonstrates that you are striving to be intentional with the healing of your heart. You are looking for scriptural guidance to grow and flourish. Your purposeful pursuit of healing shows that you are open to how Jesus can stem the flow of whatever in your life hurt you and left you...
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